The Charlotte News | March 5, 2020

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Charlotte News Thursday, March 5, 2020 | Volume LXII Number 17

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Vol. 62, no.17 March 5, 2020

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Town Meeting Day 2020 What was town meeting like for you? What brought you in?

Above: Chris and Karen Emberley: We moved to Charlotte October 21; Town Meeting Day is easy, comparatively! We came out to vote.

Right: Evan Osler, Charlotte (age 4): We came to exercise our civic duty and play on the playground.

Photos and quotes by Elizabeth Langfeldt

Above: Molly Smith: Mostly to vote in the primary.

Right: Nina Regan: It’s my first town meeting in Vermont. I moved to Vermont in the summer, like six months ago. This is my first experience with direct democracy; I worked for the federal government. I moved from the D.C. area, so this is a completely different way of being and I really like it.

Above: Norman Pellett: I moved here in 1967.

I came in when they were ¾ of the way through it…I had some trouble catching up with what they were talking about.

Right: Paul Landler: My wife works here every year, for maybe 15 to 20 years.

Mostly, I came for the primary.

ELECTION RESULTS

Selectboard, 3 years: Matt Krasnow, 1081 votes Maurice Harvey, 207 votes Ed Stone, 192 votes All uncontested candidates won: Town moderator, 1 year: Charlie Russell 1375 votes Selectboard, 2 years: Dr. James M. Faulkner 1242 votes Road commissioner, 1 year Hugh Lewis, Jr. 1375 votes CVSD school director, 3 years: Lynne Jaunich, 1262 votes Delinquent tax collector, 1 year: Mary Mead, 1334 votes Library trustee, 5 years: Anne Marie Andriola, 1305 votes

Champlain Valley School District results:

Article VII Total budget: Yes: 6557, No: 3195 Article VIII Fund Balance: Yes: 7755, No: 1865 Article IX Buses: Yes: 6769, No: 2768 Article X Bond: Yes: 6879, No: 2733

Board Member Elections:

Charlotte: Lynne Jaunich re-elected Hinesburg: Colleen MacKinnon re-elected Shelburne: Ken Scott elected to a 3-year term w/2564 votes (replaces outgoing Dave Connery) Williston: Erin Brady re-elected

Charlotte Republican Party primary: Donald J.Trump 137 Bill Weld 26 Roque “Rocky” de la Fuente 1

Charlotte Democratic Party primary: Bernie Sanders 622 Joseph R. Biden 413 Elizabeth Warren 268 Michael R. Bloomberg 191 Pete Buttigieg 42 Amy Klobuchar 20 Tulsi Gabbard 7 Andrew Yang 4 Deval Patrick 1 Mark Stewart 1 Julian Castro 0 Tom Steyer 0 Marianne Williamson 0

Above: Suzy Hodgson: [I came in] to vote, and to help distribute our transportation survey from the Charlotte Energy Committee. I came to support town trails, because that’s really important, to get from one side of town to the other sustainably, by using your bike or walking, and also to hear what’s being discussed and to get the tenor of the room and the discussion.

Annick: I came to vote today. Among a number of really important issues, one of the reasons why I still feel good about voting here is that we have paper ballots, and because there’s a better chance that our votes won’t be tampered with.

Town meeting 2020: budget passes with some gymnastics, trails get funded, and more Chea Waters Evans

For almost four hours, with the Selectboard on stage in the Charlotte Central School multi-purpose room and moderator Charles Russell at the helm, a year’s worth of goals and governance were discussed, addressed, and voted upon. With 8 articles in the town’s annual report, which served as a guide for the meeting, ayes and nays were handed out by voters, and the town budget vote ended up pushing one of the other articles right off the table.

Rep. Mike Yantachka opened the meeting by thanking Charlotte voters for allowing him to serve the town for the past decade. He pointed to the family paid leave bill and minimum wage bill, both of which were vetoed by the governor; he was greeted by applause when he said the legislature was able to override the minimum wage veto, which will be effective in January. He also discussed several climate change bills that are in the works in Montpelier.

Following is a summary of each article, what the discussion entailed, and the voters’ decision. Per the Town Charter, which sunsets this year, all articles that were approved during town meeting require a town-wide Australian ballot vote in April in order for final approval.

tion. “The only way to keep your ash trees is to chemically treat them,” he said. This costs between $200 and $300 per tree and has to be done every two or three years. “We want our children and our grandchildren to know what ash trees look like,” he said, so he and the other town tree stewards chose three ash trees at the park, three at the beach, and one behind the senior center. He said they will support the state’s Slow the Spread program and remove trees steadily and with purpose throughout town before they cause danger, while trying to keep the cost of ash tree removal steady over a longer period of time.

Who and what: Jonathan Silverman, Chair of Board of Trustees, Charlotte Public Library, thanked the town for their contributions to the library expansion project and said the library board would appreciate any further donations, as they are very close to reaching their goal. He also thanked Selectboard member Fritz Tegatz for his diligence, care and “very dry humor” while working with the library on this project. The library is now open after construction, and a formal grand opening is scheduled for May 3.

Decision: The ayes had it for town officers’ input; no issue was voted upon.

Article 1: Town Officer Reports

Article 2: Will the voters approve property taxes due on November 16, and will the town treasurer be the receiver of taxes?

Who and what: Tree Warden Mark Dillenbeck, who the Selectboard recently approved to serve another term, presented a report on the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that will eventually wipe out the ash tree popula-

Discussion: Stephen Kiernan said from that floor that he thinks the town report should list not only Parcel ID numbers for delinquent taxpayers, but that the list should include names of those who are delinquent, as it

was until the recent past. He said, “What if a Selectboard member was on that list? I would want to know.” Town Treasurer Mary Mead said the information is public, so those who are interested can access that information, and that she “made a judgment call” when she decided not to include names in the town report.

Decision: Article passes.

Article 3: Will the voters approve the town budget?

Discussion: Budget discussion started off with some good news and a report from Selectboard Chair Matt Krasnow, who said the board attempted to reduce the budget as much as possible. One of those attempts was creating a separate voting article on the agenda for the more than $17,000 in annual nonprofit donations made with tax dollars, so that voters could choose whether or not to spend that money in that fashion. Over the course of the discussion, things took a turn—one that Town Clerk Mary Mead called “silly.”

Krasnow said in one effort to lower the total, the Selectboard asked committees with higher budget requests than last year to come back with lower figures.

Another measure, Krasnow said, was to “pull out from the Selectboard budget items to be discussed as separate articles. Donations used to be out of the budget, then they were rolled in, and now are a separate article.”

The third attempt to provide voters the opportunity to choose how to spend tax money was see VOTING page 2

The Charlotte News • March 5, 2020 • 3

Town Meeting Day VOTING

continued from page 1

to separate a $57,00 request from the Trails Committee for their reserve fund, Krasnow said, “due to an increase in interest and a large necessary expenditure, the Selectboard thought it was important to have it as a separate article.”

Before the long discussion about the nonprofit items, Krasnow pointed out some good news: revenue was up 11 percent, Thompson’s Point rent increased by 3.4 percent, and even better, there was a remarkable increase in interest income from the town general fund. “Mary’s work with Peter Trono and Tom Cosinuke meant having general fund money earn interest throughout the year,” Krasnow said—the original budgeted amount was $350, and year-todate, that amount was already $15,274, “a little over a 4100 percent increase,” Krasnow said.

On the expenditures side, Krasnow said, “the most significant change to the budget was [Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue’s] 12.7% increase, largely due to changing their employment structure.” Medics went from a per diem to part time or full time pay structure, which Krasnow said was “presented as a necessary way of keeping employees in service.”

Then the nonprofit kerfuffle started. In the past, maybe 10 or 15 years ago, Krasnow estimated, there was a committee reporting to the Selectboard that considered, vetted, and chose which nonprofits the town would support financially.

These organizations are traditionally ones that directly support or impact the town. (The Charlotte News is regularly one of those nonprofits, and was on this year’s list for a $500 donation.)

The tax impact was predicted to be .019 percent of each property value dollar, or $9.50 per $500,000 household.

From the floor, Dean Leary made a motion to zero out $5k from the general budget that was earmarked for the Charlotte Land Trust, with the end goal of including those funds with the other nonprofit donations, since the land trust is not a Charlotte entity.

Kate Lampton, who is on the board of the CLT, said “the money is use it or lose it money. Over the course of years we don’t always spend it.” She said it is used for expenses associated with contracts, helping landowners with cost of appraisal, assessments to see if a project is worthwile, administrative fees, special events, and “a hodgepodge of things,” noting that in all cases, they try to “use it for what’s most relevant to the town.”

Resulting discussion and debate pointed out that it would render Article 5 effectively useless; passing Article 5 later in the meeting would essentially mean doubling the town’s donations.

she and another member of the board of listers are not running for re-election, a third position on the board is vacant, and that it is increasingly difficult to staff a full committee. “Little, if anything, will change,” she said.

After a voice vote, which was too close to call, and then a standing vote which was too close to call, and a division of the house, the Board of Civil Authority had their moment in the sun and counted voters standing in support of their decision.

Decision: Approved by paper ballot, the results were 70 yes and 9 no. The motion passed.

Ilick’s motion passed 70 to 59.

Decision: When all was said and done, the final decision was simply whether or not to approve the town budget: it passed as amended to $3,451,157.

Article 4: Will the voters approve $57,000, raised through property taxes, for the Trails Reserve Fund?

Trails committee members Ajat Tariyal and Ethan McLaughlin made a presentation explaining the need for the increase, which would cost taxpayers approximately $6.10 per $100,000 of assessed property value. Tariyal said it is currently a “really nice trail, but… if we connect the dots more, we’ll get more use.” The money will be used to eventually connect the trails to centers in the east and west villages.

Decision: The motion carried.

Article 5: Will the voters approve raising the sum of $17,922 by property tax for nonprofit organizations as requested by those donations?

Krasnow started the discussion by saying he wanted to create “a friendly amendment.” The item, regardless of whether or not it has any actual financial impact, is required to be on the April Australian ballot per the Town Charter’s rules. That item on the ballot legally needed to be put in the affirmative; a motion was made to reduce the article’s amount by $17,922.

There was a motion to amend to set the item to $0; the ayes had it.

From the floor, Peter Joslin expressed concern that the item on the ballot would be confusing to voters with a $0 amount; Mead expressed similar concerns, wondering if voters would take it to mean that no money was going to nonprofits.

Mary Mead said, “It is an expense the town considers part of our whole budget; it has nothing to do with Article 5.”

Krasnow said, “This will be the last complicated mechanism of the Town Charter, as it will be sunsetting in July.” He said the Selectboard will take care to create some kind of public relations efforts to educate voters on the change in the amount.

With a vote on Leary’s amendment, the nays had it and the amendment failed.

Decision: The ayes had it, and Article 5 was passed with an amended amount of $0.

Walter Gates then proposed adding $10k to the town budget to support ash tree removal, doubling the allocated amount. “If we don’t budget enough early on, we’ll pay more later,” he said. Tree warden Dillenbeck said he supported the increase, saying he has talked to many experts in the field in New England, “and they wish they had started earlier with preemptive removal.”

Article 6: Will the voters authorize the Selectboard to borrow not in excess of their budget for the issuance of bonds?

The ayes had it and the motion carried.

Then things took an unexpected turn.

Marty Ilick motioned from the floor to add back into the general budget the entire amount from the nonprofit donations budget: $17,992.

Decision: The article was approved with no discussion.

Article 7: Will the voters of the town authorize the elimination of the office of lister and replace that position with a professional assessor?

Discussion: Current chair of the Board of Listers Betsy Tegatz outlined the state’s program to provide professional assessors to towns at the same cost, with the same duties, and with the same town control over the position. She said

Article 8: Other business Patrice Machavern made from the floor an advisory motion for the Selectboard to “create a committee to review, perform due diligence, and vet donation requests and report to the Selectboard as part of normal annual budget process.”

The ayes easily had it and the motion passed.

Jeffrey Horbar said he would like a report from Fire and Rescue regarding possible additional training and materials regarding coronavirus, or if they have additional recommendations about resources they might need. Machavern, who is the CVFRS business operations manager, said she would pass that request on to the firehouse.

Susan Ohanian proposed an advisory motion for the Selectboard to send a letter to climate activist Greta Thunberg, saying, in part, “We are a small town in the USA, and thank you for your courageous efforts to make a difference… we want you to know that we see the importance of your work, and we hope that our youth will follow your call.” The letter also said, “We apologize for the greedy priorities of our federal government that ignores the truth of your words that our house is on fire.”

After a brief discussion and a voice and standing vote, the motion was approved.

Bob Mesaros brought up Coronavirus again.

“What’s the plan?” he asked. Rep. Yantachka said he knows that the state health department is looking closely at the issue and putting plans in place, and that he would investigate the particulars further and write an article about it for the newspaper. Selectboard member Tegatz said it was more a district-wide not local issue but more of a district-wide protocol issue.

Jane Kaplan, on the heels of that discussion, requested disinfectant wipes at future town meetings for the shared microphone in the audience.

Lane Morrison stood to recognize “the hard work of Fritz Tegatz—the retiring Selectboard member who is retiring in about 15 minutes.

He really has done a fabulous job. He is so understated of all the things he does: he’s been climbing the roof of the town hall to see if we need a new roof, he’s done the library work, he’s everywhere. Thank you for all your work.”

Morrison’s thanks was met with applause.

Catherine Bock made an advisory motion that the town of Charlotte petition the state legislature to add an amendment to the Vermont constitution acknowledging the “inherent and inalienable rights of nature…ecosystems have same rights as corporations.”

The motion passed.

Peter Nobes said he misses Fiire and Rescue budget reports at towh meeting, and made an advisory motion to include that report in future town meetings when majority of attendees are still there. The motion passed.

And with a motion to adjourn, Russell said, “All right, we’re all done, thank you.”

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ON THE COVER Steve Schubart at the Grasscattle Company on Hinesburg Rd. Courtesy Steve Schubart

4 • March 5, 2020 • The Charlotte News

Report from the Legislature Legislature moves to regulate and tax cannabis Rep. Mike Yantachka

The week before Town Meeting was intense as the legislature spent long hours debating, amending, and passing two major bills: the regulation and taxation of legal cannabis and revisions to Act 250. Both are very complicated pieces of legislation, so I will focus this article on the 53-page cannabis bill, S.54.

The history of cannabis, a.k.a. marijuana, in Vermont law dates back more than 100 years. Vermont outlawed marijuana in 1915 as part of a movement to restrict its usage throughout the United States in the early 20th century. Its presence in Vermont was well known, however, during the back-to-earth movement in the 1970s and, truthfully, never left.

It was approved for medicinal use with a note from the doctor in 2004 by a bill that Governor Jim Douglas allowed to become law without his signature. In 2013 the legislature decriminalized possession of up to an ounce; i.e. it became a civil infraction. Finally, in May of 2017, the legislature passed a bill legalizing adult possession of one ounce and possession of two mature plants per household, but the bill was vetoed by Governor Scott. However, the following January the House passed an amended version, the Senate followed, and Governor Scott signed it into law. So, while it is legal to possess marijuana in small quantities, it has not been legal to buy or sell it or bring it into Vermont, including marijuana seeds.

It is a highly dysfunctional system in which the black market continues to thrive.

Because of the need and desire for strict regulation, the production and sale of cannabis will be considered a business rather than farming and will not be eligible for agricultural tax breaks. However, sections of the Required Agricultural Practices related to operating standards for farming, groundwater quality, and subsurface tile drainage will apply to cannabis cultivation, processing, and manufacturing.

The bill we just passed creates a Cannabis Control Board that will issue licenses and regulate all aspects of the marijuana

The

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market in Vermont. There are six types of licenses: Cultivator, Product manufacturer, Wholesaler, Testing laboratory, Retailer, and an Integrated license. A person may hold a maximum of one of each license, except that an integrated license is only available to the current five vertically integrated registered medical cannabis dispensaries in Vermont. Retail cannabis establishments are allowed in a municipality only if the voters of the municipality approve. Other types of licensees cannot be disallowed, but must comply with any local bylaws, ordinances, or permits. The bill bans advertising related to cannabis and requires cannabis and cannabis products intended for human consumption to be tested for contaminants, potency, and quality. All cannabis products remain illegal for persons under 21 years of age.

Taking into consideration roadside safety, all Vermont officers will be required to take 16 hours of Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) training by the end of 2021, and roadside test results and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) evaluation results will be admissible in court.

A 14% excise tax and the regular 6% sales tax will be assessed on retail marijuana sales. Any local option tax will also apply.

Expected revenues during the first year are around $13 million. The revenues from the sales tax will go into the Education Fund for after-school programs, 30% of the excise tax revenue will be used for prevention programs, and the rest will go to the General Fund. The bill is now back in the Senate for its approval or further amendment.

I have been honored to be able to serve you in the legislature and work for the improvement of our environment and quality of life. I’m taking this opportunity to announce that I will be running for re-election again this year and would appreciate your continued support. I welcome your emails (myantachka.dfa@ gmail.com), phone calls (802-233-5238), or in-person contacts. This article and others can be found at my website www.

MikeYantachka.com.

PUBLICATION DATES March 19, 2020 Copy Deadline: Friday, March 13 Ads Deadline: Friday, March 13 April 2, 2020 Copy Deadline: Friday, March 27 Ads Deadline: Friday, March 27

Around Town Congratulations:

coming summer in Vermont.

to Ava Rohrbaugh and Annika Gruber whose poems appeared in the Burlington Free Press “Young Writers Project” of February 21. Ava responded to the challenge to write about “gratitude.” She said she was grateful “for the little light inside of us sprinkled with emotion and humanity.”

is extended to family and friends of Ann Bielawski who passed away at Vermont Respite House recently. She was an active member of the Charlotte Congregational Church. She was married to Joseph Bielawski, who predeceased her on August 9, 1981. A special thanks to her friends, neighbors and members of the Charlotte Congregational Church for their love and support.

Annika’s poem titled “The Marginalized” talks about what it is like not to fit in.

“Circles can be closed off to you and name cards switched.” If you are the one left out or picked on for too long, you “start believing that you deserve it—but you’re wrong.”

Ava was also published in the February 28 issue under the topic of “reach.” Titled “If Only,” she says she knows that after night, the sun will swipe its strokes of blue over her little diamonds. She wishes she “could touch them, feel their warmth sitting in my hands or burning holes in my pockets.”

Sympathy: is extended to family and friends of Marie Hadwen of Fort Myers, FL who passed away February 5 at the age of 89. She spent many summers at a camp on Cedar Beach, Charlotte, and her surviving family includes her daughter Wendy Hadwen Schroeder.

There will be a memorial service held this

Honoring Ann’s wishes and last request, there will be no visiting hours, funeral or memorial service. Following cremation, her ashes will be interred at the convenience of her family at Grand Ann Bielawski View Cemetery in Charlotte, Vermont. In lieu of flowers, if anyone wishes to make a donation in her memory, it may be made to the Charlotte Congregational Church, P.O. Box 12, Charlotte, VT 05445 or sent to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Office of Development, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Fl 33607.

Despite school district assurances, armed security staffed town meeting and voting Chea Waters Evans Recent weeks showed a conflict between the Charlotte Selectboard and the Champlain Valley School District regarding a contract sent to the board earlier this year informing the town that they are responsible for footing the bill for any security the school district hires for election days and town meetings that take place in Charlotte Central School.

In February, the Selectboard voted 4-1 to not sign the contract, citing concerns regarding cost, restrictions on voting, and security at the polling location; an extra armed security figure at the door was unexpected for some voters—and the Selectboard—on Tuesday at town meeting.

On Tuesday, voters and town meetinggoers, as well as students and parents, were greeted in the parking lot and at the door with security hired by the Champlain Valley School District, as well as two

armed policemen, one who was expected by the town and one who was not. CVSD Director of Operations Jeanne Jensen, during discussions with the Selectboard, had said that any security hired by the district would not be armed. The school district did not, in fact, hire armed security, but a school-district-employed armed officer did monitor the door for part of the day.

Differentiating the finer point between hired security specifically for elections and other school-district-hired people who carry guns, Jensen wrote, “My comment was that the security detail we contracted with for town meeting day would not be armed. The State Troopers and Shelburne Police Department who keep our kids safe on a regular basis would be welcome guardians at any time, but if they were somehow intimidating to voters, I apologize and we will make sure they are less so in the future.” see SECURITY page 16

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Selectboard

Not yet, CVSD: Selectboard declines to sign election day security agreement Juliann Phelps Monday’s Selectboard meeting featured one agenda item: the memorandum of agreement between the Champlain Valley School District and the town of Charlotte for election day security. The topic was debated for nearly an hour among Selectboard members, with Chair Matt Krasnow calling in remotely.

Town Clerk/Treasurer Mary Mead started off the discussion asking to review the MOA from the beginning and Selectboard Member Louise McCarren provided a written list of suggested changes. The updated MOA included changes incorporated from a previous meeting with school district officials, Mead, and Selectboard members Krasnow and Fritz Tegatz.

They only got to the fourth line in the MOA: WHEREAS, the Town would like to hold various municipal, state and federal elections (Election Days) at the School, before the

discussion centered on the history of the building and voting in Charlotte.

“The town has the right, that’s really my issue,” said McCarren. “The town has used the facility so far back Mary didn’t know.”

Mead responded, “The town gave the lands and building to the school district in 1966.

That’s where the town hall was, in that building. We need to assert that the town of Charlotte has used the facility for municipal and voting purposes forever.” Carrie Spear agreed. Fritz Tegatz observed the MOA was “written from the district standpoint” and “looks like ‘it’s ours now, these are the rules’.” Krasnow said, “The way I read this it was just for election security on Town Meeting Day.” McCarren and Tegatz raised concerns about implications of signing the agreement. “It changes the dynamics of who’s in charge there,” said McCarren. “We are no longer allowed to use it without permission,” said

Tegatz. Vice Chair Frank Tenney asked about the intent of additional security “to protect the school, that’s already supposed to be protected?”

McCarren said, “While I am sympathetic to school security, we need a short term solution and a long term solution.” She proposed drafting a global MOA and offered up a previous idea discussed by members of the Selectboard: moving Town Meeting Day to a Saturday. Spear replied, “Saturday would be more favorable now, than maybe seven or ten years ago.” Mead said changing meeting day was a separate topic and suggested having an agreement first, but didn’t think the town should have an agreement for minor elections (identified in the MOA as less than 300 voters). “Charlotte is the only town that votes in a school. No other district has to pay for security on election days,” she said. Krasnow proposed signing the MOA and executing the termination clause, “I have a concern going

into town meeting without an agreement,” he said.

McCarren motioned to “decline to sign the MOA, but want to work cooperatively with the consolidated school district to come to an agreement about the use of the facilities.” Tegatz seconded the motion.

During discussion, McCarren expressed the need to communicate the decision to the two Charlotte school board representatives as well as CVSD Chief Operating Officer Jeanne Jensen. “No one should be surprised.

We need to communicate this to everyone involved,” said McCarren. Spear suggested putting it on the agenda for the end of March. Tegatz said, “I think this should be a group meeting. There’s no one here [from the school district]. The players all need to be in the room at the same time.” The vote was 4-1, with Krasnow against.The next scheduled Selectboard meeting is March 9 at 6 p.m.

Planning Commission

Caption: Planning Commission chair Peter Joslin discusses the Mt. Philo parking lot.

First look at doubled parking at Mt. Philo State Park Commission continues work, land use regulations Juliann Phelps The Thursday, February 20 Planning Commission meeting ran longer than usual, despite only five agenda items.

Members discussed expanding parking at Mt. Philo State Park, worked through a lengthy list of proposed edits to the Charlotte Land Use regulations, and reviewed an updated draft provided by Town Planner Daryl Arminius. As in previous meetings, Arminius provided a color-coded draft containing three sets of edits: those related to Act 143 and the on-farm accessory ag business, the East Charlotte Village commercial district and general edits. In addition, the Planning Commission held and closed two sketch plan reviews.

The Commission heard from Roy Marble regarding a proposed subdivision on Spear Street. Marble proposed subdividing the 31.34 acre property at 3453 Spear Street from two lots into five lots. The property had been subdivided once, so the commission voted, 5-0 to classify the application as a four lot major subdivision PRD and close sketch plan review on PC20-01-SK Marble-Winn-Clark. Planning Commission members David Kenyon and Shawn Coyle were absent.

Expanded parking at Mt. Philo The Commission heard from Rick Heddy

regarding the proposed parking lot at Mt. Philo State Park. Heddy was filling in for applicant Dennis Lincoln from the VT State Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. In the presentation, Heddy explained the design of the new entrance and parking lot.

The proposed entrance would be moved 300 feet north from the original entrance and feature a long gravel roadway to the contact station “to allow for stacking vehicles -- it really is a safety issue.”

According to the application, the parking lot would expand from 60 spaces to approximately 120-130 spaces, with 6 ADA spaces and a composting toilet in the middle.

Chair Peter Joslin asked, “When it’s really busy in the summer months, cars are parked down State Park Road for quite a ways. If both lots are full, is there a plan for excess parking?” Heddy responded that the current plan should accommodate parking on busier days, but they plan on closing the lots and putting out a sign saying the parking lot is full. “We had it in place this year, but we didn’t use it,” Heddy said.

Planning Commission member Gerald Bouchard asked, “Mt. Philo made the news about people breaking into cars. Are you running any power lines where you can put up cameras?” Heddy responded, “No. The contact station is powered by solar. We talked about cameras in the past…There’s no one there to monitor or review. We determined we weren’t going to do that.”

Bouchard said, “With the problems we’ve

been hearing about the parking lot of this size and we are going to double that?”

Heddy responded, “Currently we only have a sign saying not to leave valuables in your vehicle.”

The commission members also asked questions about using landscaping screening, the type of permeable materials proposed to be used for the parking spaces, and the storm water retention pond/rain garden. After a bit more discussion, they voted to close sketch plan review, 5-0.

Updates to land use regulations The Planning Commission reviewed the Town Planner’s draft edits to the town land use regulations, but specifically focused on working through a spreadsheet of proposed changes. The changes varied from updated definitions in the glossary and incorporating terms referenced in the town plan to a brief discussion on the proposed standards for lot sizes and setbacks in the East Charlotte Village Commercial District.

During the discussion, resident David Adsit expressed his concerns about the proposed changes in the East Charlotte village. “I am not sure if this is the time to bring this up, but I have concerns about expanding the commercial district and oneacre zoning. This will unalterably change the character of the village,” said Adsit.

He spoke of other residents’ concerns and rumors of development plans: “People feel like they are losing control [of the East Village], it’s spiraling out. … No one I’ve talked to is against growth, just the pace of growth.”

Joslin responded to Adsit’s concerns, outlining the process the Planning Commission has undertaken “This is at least a year and half working on the East Charlotte Village, with various numbers of folks showing up.” He continued, “We always encourage people to show up… people from the East Village and town in general. There is a lot of time to voice opinions one way or another.” Joslin noted that there will be Selectboard hearings and an eventual town vote on the proposed changes to the land use regulations.

Resident Bill Stuono added, “The fact that this has been dragged on for so long has kept people from coming. We are worn out.”

Other business As an adjustment to the agenda the Planning Commission briefly discussed the petition submitted by the owners of Charlotte Crossings to the town of Charlotte regarding parking lot design in the town’s land use regulations. The petition received 178 signatures, validated earlier that day by the Town Clerk. Joslin read the statute governing petitions and informed the commission they would schedule a hearing, draft a formal response with recommendations, and submit it to the Selectboard. The commission also approved a six month extension of the sketch plan review letter for PC-19-76SK Root Seven Holdings, LLC for the property located at 3171 Ethan Allen Highway.

The next scheduled Planning Commission meeting will be held on March 5 at 7 p.m.

6 • March 5, 2020 • The Charlotte News

Farming

Grasscattle Company: honoring the past, moving into the future Vera Moroney To meet Steve Schubart at the Grasscattle Company is to see our future and celebrate out past. A man with a mission and huge energy, an unstoppable combination.

Steve ranches 150 acres on Hinesburg Road. The ranch is the former Bean farm, a family with a very deep history in Charlotte. Steve is a graduate of Vermont Tech with a B.S. in diversified agriculture and a degree in dairy herd management.

However, those degrees do not define him: what does his passion for the land and the cattle.

He is a strong supporter of the cattle roaming the land and “reinvesting” their poop into the soil to increase fertility and organic matter. This creates farm viability, sequesters carbon, and reduces runoff, which benefits all of us. Steve also practices bale grazing, in which bales of hay are placed in the fields for the cattle to munch on; this practice increases soil

fertility by providing organic matter and composting and access to hay for the cattle.

In a recent visit the cattle were frolicking in the fields, with others sunbathing and lounging near the barn. Happy.

Steve was very clear that what has helped him is the support of other farmers and neighbors, who provided advice and moral support. A good neighborhood for sure.

Challenges have included the unexpected birth of calves and the reality that he cannot do it all himself and needs to hire help… anyone interesting in being a ranch hand?

One of his goals is to fix up the barn so the cattle can have a more secure place to hang out in the cold months.

You can buy his beef by the quarter or half, cut and frozen through his website, and he hopes to open an onsite location as well.

We are such a fortunate community to have Steve and other young farmers and ranchers. Let’s support them.

Steve Schubart uses a combination of education and passion to raise his cattle. .

Photos by Vera Maroney

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The Charlotte News • March 5, 2020 • 7

People

A Nanjing afternoon: I wonder what they are doing now Sandi Detwiler Rick and I visited China during the first three weeks of January this year. Our purpose was to visit our daughter and her husband, who teach at Nanjing International School, an independent, private school for children of multinational diplomats and businesspeople posted in Nanjing.

Here we are two months later, deluged with reports of mandatory quarantines, lines for medications and fear of the spreading coronavirus, and I find myself remembering vividly one afternoon’s stroll through Wuchaomen park.

I imagine the park is empty today, quiet but for a few masked, gloved walkers hurrying out for their daily exercise. Just weeks earlier, the green space buzzed with joy and purpose.

The park, on the site of the ruins of a 13th century Ming palace, serves as both an outdoor senior center and a playground.

Lingering roses, purple pansies and yellow blossoms line a winding path leading to an open grassy plot where a wrinkled man with furrowed brow bent to untangle the line of his home created kite.

A dozen hand-cut newsprint diamondshaped panels spaced two feet apart were

connected by the knotted string which the determined man struggled to loosen.

He scowled as he twisted and turned the snarls. Only a few knots were undone when we passed by him a final time as we left the park.

I wonder….is he continuing to disentangle while stuck in his apartment or has the virus undone him as it has so many elderly?

Off to the side of the kite man, lilting tones led us to four senior women who held their arms high swinging in time with the melody. Slowly their bodies swayed back and forth. Each woman’s hands closed and opened to the rhythm of the music. Concentrating, almost meditative, the foursome was oblivious to the shouts of the little soccer players running among them. Arms like feathers, floating through the air, the women’s faces were masks of focus.

Are they still waving their arms or are they confined to their apartments?

Nearby a group of three girls about seven years old clutched tall calligraphy brushes which they wet in buckets of water. Each child dipped the pointed brush in the water and began to draw Mandarin characters on the pavement. Mothers offered instruction as the children concentrated on learning the first of the 2,000-3,000 characters an educated Mandarin reader and writer must know. Once they noticed us watching, they turned to one another, burying their heads together with giggles, but soon flashed smiles as we offered our smiles in return.

Now that all schools are closed, are they still in the park practicing with their brushes or are they restricted to their homes?

Near the drawing girls, a pair of helmeted, knee- and elbow-padded little boys laughed and struggled to stay upright on their roller blades. An ancient man dozed on a bench in the pale January sun. His neck bobbed up and down as he slept while his creased, tan face suggested he’d spent many an afternoon napping in the warmth.

Above: A group of girls asked Sandi Detwiler to take a photo with them in a park.

Where are they skating now; where is that man napping?

A row of young trees separated the napping bench from an area where a humming sound attracted us to several middle-aged men who were engrossed in diabolo spinning, an activity where a round object is threaded in the center by a long string in order for the handler to spin and create a whirling, buzzing sensation.

Fascinated, we watched, thinking how difficult it is just to keep a toy top spinning. One particularly adept spinner furrowed his brow with concentration as he paced circles around the concrete, all the while pulling the string to keep the disc humming.

Now, is he spinning at home or is the disc collecting quiet dust in the corner?

At the far end of the grounds, more seniors sat on fixed stools playing cards on concrete tables covered with fabric.

The card players shouted and laughed as they waved to us with smiles of gold teeth which shone in the afternoon sunshine.

Sadly, perhaps the teeth are now hidden by surgical masks while solitaire emerges as the game of choice.

Couples danced in the park in Nanjing, China.

Photos by Sandy Detwiler

Dancing couples brought us smiles. A discreet boom box played music, nothing recognizable, but the sort of music that makes a couple want to assume classic “dance together” positions. The couples appeared to be in their 60s or 70s, see CHINA page 7

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Education

CVSD prepared for potential COVID-19

CHINA

continued from page 6

wearing casual pants, shirts and sneakers, everyday clothes. Their footsteps fell light on the grass and concrete. Confident men twirled their partners as they glided across the space. Two pairs of women moved with more energy and sass than the mixed couples. Though my feet were itching to join them, I hesitated, not wanting to offend anyone. Now I wish I’d jumped in.

Chea Waters Evans

Are they still dancing? I’m hoping they will again soon.

As we were strolling out of the park, two young girls walked up and said in their best English “Hello. This flower is for you. May we take your picture?” I smiled.

“Thank you for the pansy. And I’d be happy for you to take our picture. Let’s have a picture of all of us.”

A passing woman snapped the memory of an afternoon, a delightful afternoon, when we didn’t yet have to fear being with strangers.

Though I had assumed the lush park was a place for simple relaxation, I realize now that most everyone there was fully engaged, concentrating on his or her activity. As I think back to those memories, ask myself those questions, I do so with a new perspective on the

Seniors play cards outdoors in the warming air.

Photo by Sandy Detwiler

Chinese people. That focus, attention to detail, and persistence evident in a Nanjing park offer me faith that the Chinese people will overcome this latest challenge, perhaps teaching the rest of us something about their culture along the way.

I wonder…

Journalism student scholarships available from NENPA The Journalism Education Foundation of New England, a division of the New England Newspaper & Press Association will award several $2,000 scholarships this spring to high school seniors and college students in the six-state region who aspire to pursue a career in journalism.

This program encourages and supports young people who wish to staff and lead newspapers into the next generation.

The JEFNE scholarship is available to

residents of New England. Applicants must be a college student or high school senior planning to attend college the following year to study journalism or a related field, and they are required to have a GPA of 3.0 or above.

Interested students can apply for the scholarship online at www.nenpa.com. The deadline for applications is March 27.

For further information please call NENPA at 781-281-7284

How will you pay for college?

VSAC offers financial aid workshops Vermont Student Assistance Corp. is hosting free workshops at local high schools to help sophomores, juniors, and their parents learn about financial aid resources for education and training programs.

Financial Aid & Managing College Costs will provide an overview of how families pay for college costs and the different types of financial aid available. VSAC will also share several resources and websites that can help families get ready to file financial aid forms.

The following workshops are Chittenden county over the coming weeks: South Burlington High School March 26 6:30 p.m.

Vermont Commons School April 1 6-7:30 p.m.

Champlain Valley Union High School April 7 6 p.m., Auditorium Burlington High School April 8 6:30 p.m.

Essex High School April 9 6:30-7:30 p.m., Auditorium Milton High School April 16 6-8 p.m.

The Champlain Valley Union School District emailed information to parents and staff on Sunday regarding policies and procedures relating to the potential for a COVID-19 outbreak in the state. The virus, which is rapidly been spreading worldwide, recently showed up in the United States.

With new cases recently found in Montreal, Massachusetts, and New York state, it’s possible that the virus will eventually spread to Vermont, though no cases have been reported in the state at press time.

Co-principal Stephanie Sumner said that Charlotte Central School has been on top of the situation. “From our standpoint, our nurse Lauren Calkins, facilities manager Chris Giard, and [co-principal] Jen [Roth] and I have been connecting for a couple of weeks regarding guidance sent out by the Agency of Education and Department of Health to make sure we’re prepared to handle anything that might come up!”

A letter emailed home to parents on Sunday, sent from CVSD Director of Digital Learning and Communication Bonnie Birdsall, stated, “We write to let you know that CVSD is working with the Agency of Education and Department of Health to ensure we are appropriately informed and prepared if COVID-19 cases are reported.” Birdsall reminded parents to

keep their children home from school when they’re sick, and to refresh students on handwashing techniques.

Birdsall also emailed CVSD employees to share similar points, regarding proper sneeze and handwashing protocol (into your elbow or a tissue, 20 seconds) and reminding them to frequently wipe down high-contact areas with disinfectant.

In-school additional precautions include, she sad, “facilities teams are ensuring that handwashing stations and hand sanitizing dispensers are full. Custodial staff will be extra diligent in sanitizing high-touch surfaces. Our school nurses have received guidance from the DOH on identifying and responding to potential cases of COVID-19.”

The school district’s communications indicated that they are keeping close track of updates from the Agency of Education, the Vermont Department of Health, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and national school associations.

The Charlotte News • March 5, 2020 • 9

Calendar Events

Town March events at the Charlotte Grange Trina Bianchi

We welcome appropriate community event listings with a maximum of 100 words. Print fees may apply to community events outside of Charlotte.

Email your events to ads@thecharlottenews.org.

Saturday, March 14th.

What better way to meet your neighbors than to attend a Pie Breakfast? The Rotary Club of Charlotte-ShelburneHinesburg Rotary Club will hold its Second Annual Pie Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Shelburne Vineyard. The event features all-youcan-eat pies, both sweet and savory for a donation of $5.00. Shady Rill, will provide background music featuring a variety of instruments including hammered dulcimer, banjo, flute, and ukulele. Citizens of the Club’s three towns as well as neighboring towns are cordially invited.

Sunday, March 15 Rokeby Museum, Education Center, Reading of Rowland Evans Robinson at 3:00 p.m. Ferrisburgh resident Rowland Evans Robinson (1833-1900) was one of Vermont’s most beloved writers. Dean Leary, of Charlotte and a long-time reader of Robinson’s work, will share knowledge about the writer and lead a discussion of Robinson’s nature, history and fiction writing. Meant for those both new and familiar with the author, the program encourages those planning to attend to read selections of Robinson’s writing. For links and/or hard copies of the selected writings, email director@rokeby.org or call 877-3406.

Sunday, March 22 The Hinesburg Artist Series presents its 24th annual concert with the South County Chorus, HAS Orchestra and guest artists at 4:30 pm at St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Hinesburg. Tickets ($20 for adults / $15 for seniors and students) are available from the FlynnTix Box Office (flynntix.org), the Hinesburgh Public House, Blue Cottage, and the Hinesburg Recreation Department.

Friday, April 17 All community members are invited to join Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services as we celebrate 70 years of service to Charlotte and area towns! Show your appreciation for their dedication and service at The Old Lantern, Greenbush Road, Charlotte.

Cocktail hour at 6 p.m., dinner and awards at 7 p.m. followed by dancing with music by The Hitmen. Cash Bar. Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward community outreach and training support programs. Call 425-3111 to purchase your tickets. $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

The Charlotte Grange is proud to host Pete Sutherland and Oliver Scanlon of Pete’s Posse on Sunday, March 8 at 4 p.m. Pete and Oliver will present “Fiddlers of the New Generation,” a showcase of their current students.

When not touring, recording, or composing, Pete and Oliver are passionate music educators and this event brings them together along with their current students to make music that bridges generations. This is a fabulous opportunity for families to introduce their kids to possibilities in the world of music and for folks to support the next generation of performers. There is no formal admission to this event, but a $10.00 per person or $20.00 per family donation is suggested.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with music!

March’s Acoustic Open Mic evening will be Tuesday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. Kick the mid-winter blues by coming to our third regular acoustic Open Mic evening in 2020.

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to take your music outside your home and perform? Here’s your golden opportunity! Any type of acoustic music, poetry or storytelling is welcome! Each performer is allowed two songs or 8 minutes. We have developed

an informal, friendly and very supportive atmosphere and we always have songs or tunes where everyone can join in playing and/or singing! Make 2020 the year you, as a budding performer, dip your toe into the water and perform in a safe and friendly environment for the first time or to further hone your skills in public! Hot cider is served. If you would like to perform, please sign up in advance by emailing Mike Walker at mjwalker@gmavt.net or on our Facebook page at facebook.com/Charlotte-Community-Music. Don’t play or sing, but want to support some musicians and listen to and enjoy some great music? Come to the Grange Hall and be entertained! No admission, but donations appreciated. All donations go toward keeping the Hall open for these events during the winter.

The Buck Hollers from Georgia, Vermont will be playing at the Grange Hall on Sunday, March 22 at 4 p.m. This fun-loving, crowd-pleasing group features a tremendous variety of covers and originals with tight rockin’ rhythms, soulful ballads, sweet harmonies, head-turning a capellas, witty lyrics and great comedy! This is a fabulous opportunity for the entire family to enjoy some great music in our historic Grange Hall. No admis-

sion, but a $10.00 donation is suggested.

We have received a grant from Historic Preservation of Vermont to repair/restore the interior of the big 8 schoolhouse windows on the first floor and to repair/restore/rehabilitate the two main entry doors. While the grant will cover 50% of the cost to do these restorations, as a Grange we need to raise the entire amount necessary to do the work prior to being able to receive the monies of the grant so we are now looking to our community to help us. The estimated repairs are $12,500 and we have started a Building Fund which currently has just over $1,400, all of which has come from totally unsolicited donations from various community members. We thank each of you for these donations! Our mailing address is P.O. Box 54, Charlotte, Vermont 05445 if you would like to contribute towards this project. Every little bit helps us get closer to our goal. Our Grange Hall holds a lot of history for many families in Charlotte; our goal is to be able to rehabilitate and restore it so that it can be used by families for generations to come. If you would like more information please contact Margaret Woodruff at Margaret.woodruff@gmail.com or Trina Bianchi at alchemy@gmavt.net. Thank you in advance for your support!

Out Takes

Rooms have lives of their own blocked easy access from the hallway leading into “The Room,” and they headed there immediately upon arrival. It had become a second-generation playroom.

Edd Merritt There’s a world where I can go and tell my secrets to In my room, in my room In this world I lock out all my worries and my fears In my room, in my room In My Room – Brian Wilson From its pre-birth as an un-built upon plot of our newly bought home’s side lawn, my new room has gone through a 30-year life span that has mirrored the growth of our family, from young child’s playground to senior’s final resting spot.

We moved into our current home on the top of the hill on Hinesburg Road west of Spear Street that was built on what had been the East Charlotte softball field.

The house was somewhat of a mishmash of various designs and connected structures, which we decided needed to be reformed and organized into one coordinated structure, and that’s when our new room came into being. We needed a place to send our two sons, newly minted teens at the time, where they could do what teens do – play air hockey, hang out with friends on prom night, play tunes of their era (not mom’s and dad’s).

Fortunately, tobacco was not tested. I do not know about sips of alcohol, but I like to think anxiety prevailed.

Having not grown up in Charlotte and, thus, having not been part of a local clique, my older son fell in with a fellow

classmate at CCS as a pair of bright rebels who continually tested the borders of “schooldom” and teachers’ expectations.

Many of their plots may have been conceived in “The Room” at our house.

And, if walls had ears, they would have had advance knowledge of the next slippery eighth grade slope through the middle school.

Music became a central element of “The Room.” A turntable, followed by tape and CD players with required speakers took prominent space against the outer wall.

Our main television set with an easy chair soon occupied about a third of the east end of “The Room” with a couch occupying a large portion of the other. I inserted a skylight in the roof for natural day and moon light.

It rapidly gained the name of “family room.” I cut an outside door, so that to use it one did not have to disturb people in other parts of the house.

Our family grew with two sets of grandsons. Their Legos and toys soon

As I have reached a stage of physical immobility in my life, and a wheelchair has become my main means of transportation, “The Room” has undergone yet another change of character. It is now basically my apartment, rather a combination of apartment and senior living arrangement.

Walking into an area that at one time was filled with changing elements of a growing family, it has now assumed a character of age that matches mine.

Looking back on life, I realize that homes often follow the lifelines of people in their physical changes. My new bed with handrails is the central piece of furniture in “The Room.” A hoyer lift stands in one corner. The walls contain reminders off what it had once been – Jenny Cole’s sketch of the Thorpe Barn, a piece of quilt, a drawing of the Charlotte Library, a watercolor of the Long Trail.

Life follows physical attributes. “The Room” has followed mine. May we go together? My life to its end, “The Room” back to lawn, and as the Rolling Stones say, “Hey you, get off of my cloud.”

Peoples’ lives may be mirrored in a number of different ways. Had I had the foresight to photograph “The Room’s” stages and changes through 30 years of living in it, I would have shown how “The Room” has mirrored mine.

10 • March 5, 2020 • The Charlotte News

Into The Woods

Heating with wood is a Vermont tradition Ethan Tapper In Vermont, we’re “Forest Strong.” Our 75% forested landscape constantly endows us with gifts: clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration and storage, to name a few. It also produces opportunities for forest-based recreation like skiing and mountain biking and supports local economies that thrive on these industries, all while making Vermont a beautiful place to live, work, and visit.

At the same time, our forests can provide us with local, renewable resources that strengthen our communities and support a healthier environment. Such is the case with firewood.

In Vermont’s long winters, heating with firewood is a tradition. Wood accounts for about 21% of our heating needs, with 43% of Vermonters heating wholly or partially with wood. Most of that wood comes from within 50 miles of where it’s used, meaning that economic benefits stay local; by contrast, 78 cents of every dollar spent by Vermonters on fossil fuel heat leaves Vermont. Besides supporting our communities and local economies, using local wood (and local products in general) gives us more control over how our resources are extracted, rather than

displacing the impacts of our consumption elsewhere in the country or the world, where resources are produced under potentially more problematic social and environmental conditions.

The way we burn wood is as important as the resource itself; fireplaces, old woodstoves and old wood boilers are inefficient, using an excess of wood and releasing particulates that can degrade air quality. “Advanced Wood Heat,” modern woodstoves, pellet boilers and chip boilers, burn more efficiently, producing emissions on par with propane and heating oil. Burning wood using advanced wood heat systems is critical to increasing usage of this resource while protecting our air quality.

The way that we harvest wood from our forests also matters; forest management should be regenerative, not solely extractive, making the forest healthier and more resilient in the long term. On a responsible timber harvest, “low-grade” wood from smaller, less healthy trees usually accounts for the majority of the wood cut, but only a small portion of the overall value. Conversely, larger, healthier trees often account for a small portion of a timber harvest’s volume and but most of its value. This is as it should be;

Welcome to

cutting mostly unhealthy trees, which get turned into firewood, pulpwood and chips, generally improves the overall health of the forest. “High-grading” is the disreputable practice of cutting only the healthiest, most valuable trees, leaving a less healthy forest behind. Having strong markets, like firewood, for low-grade wood provides an economic incentive for loggers and landowners to do the right thing.

As we think about how to craft a more sustainable future in light of climate change and other challenges, one of the most important things that we can do is to keep our forests intact. Vermont’s forests are about 80% privately-owned, and so private landowners are ultimately responsible for most of the public benefits that forests provide, from the carbon that they store to how they define the culture and the character of our communities. Allowing landowners to harvest some wood or to make a little income from their forests offsets the costs of management and taxes, ultimately benefiting all of us by making it more affordable to own land and keeping forests as forests.

Wood pellets provide some interesting new opportunities. According to the Northern Forest Center, regionally-produced wood pellets reduce greenhouse gas emissions

by 54% when replacing heating oil, and 59% when replacing natural gas. Pellets are made of compressed sawdust, so they can be created from waste, and pellet systems can be automated and thermostatcontrolled, with all of the hands-off benefits of propane or fuel oil. For people who are uncomfortable with traditional methods of burning firewood but still want to source their heat locally, this is an excellent option.

The State Clean Energy Plan set the ambitious goal of achieving 90% renewable energy by 2050, including sourcing 35% of our heat from wood by 2030. The environmental and economic benefits of this would be great, allowing us to displace the use of around 40 million gallons of fossil fuels annually and saving Vermonters about $120 million a year. I would encourage you to think critically about switching to wood, and/or switching your old wood stove for a newer more efficient model. For a list of available incentives, check out: https://fpr.vermont. gov/woodenergy/rebates Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County Forester. He can be reached at ethan. tapper@vermont.gov, (802)-585-9099 or at his office at 111 West Street, Essex Junction.

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The Charlotte News • March 5, 2020 • 11

On Books Books for spring to make you think Katherine Arthaud

Valentine’s Day has passed, the groundhog has come and gone, Presidents’ Day is over, and life goes on, and sometimes it snows.

Some of us have flown to warmer spots and posted pictures of turquoise seas, swaying palms, and frolicking loved ones. Some of us are staying put. Most of us have been sick, with one thing or the other, at least once at this point.

It’s February in Vermont.

And whether you’ve been curled up on your couch with a toasty fire in the grate or flying to a Caribbean Island, swaying in a hammock with a Planter’s Punch balanced on your belly or waiting for the dentist, many of you have been reading. Reading… something.

I’ve read a few things since we last spoke.

One is Rachel Maddow’s “Blowout,” which will pretty much blow your mind. I am listening to it, actually, and it is taking

forever. I started it before Christmas and I’m still not done. But wow. It’s kind of like that scene from “The Wizard of Oz” when Toto inadvertently knocks over a screen and reveals that the great and powerful, awe-inspiring wizard is nothing but a nervous white male senior citizen pulling a bunch of levers in a back room. Which suddenly seems so benign, now that I think about it, compared to what is revealed in this blockbuster.

Putin throwing successful oil and gas CEOs in jail so that he can seize their companies and reap the profits for himself…Rex Tillerson flirting with Russian oligarchs on behalf of ExxonMobil… disastrous drilling ventures in the arctic… transnational pipelines…massive oil spills… fracking-induced “earthquake swarms” and the scramble to conceal evidence that they are not in fact naturally occurring…the hushing of scientists who discern the truth… all kinds of craziness and corruption. It’s enough to make you run out and buy a Tesla.

TOWN OF CHARLOTTE IS ISSUING REQUESTS FOR MOWING/LAND MAINTENANCE & BRUSH-HOGGING BIDS The Town of Charlotte is seeking bids for: • mowing and maintaining certain town parcels and trails • mowing and maintaining cemeteries • brush-hogging certain town parcels A description of the parcels and bid requirements can be viewed at www.charlottevt.org and can also be obtained at the Town Office.

Contractors can bid on one, two or all three contracts.

Bids are due on Monday March 16, 2020 @ 4 PM Any questions should be directed to Dean Bloch, Town Administrator, at 425-3701 ext. 5 or dean@townofcharlotte.com

TOWN OF CHARLOTTE REQUEST FOR BIDS TO REMOVE POTENTIAL HAZARD ROADSIDE ASH TREES FERRY ROAD FROM WINGS POINT ROAD TO GREENBUSH ROAD AND GREENBUSH ROAD 0.6 MILES SOUTH OF ORCHARD ROAD AND GREENBUSH ROAD IMMEDIATELY SOUTH OF THE RAILROAD UNDERPASS Issued: February 25, 2020 Project Description To remove potential hazard ash trees from the roadside of Ferry Road from Wings Point Road to Greenbush Road and Greenbush Road 0.6 miles south of Orchard Road and immediately south of the railroad underpass.

Or put up solar panels. Or get yourself a windmill. I’m telling you, this stuff is sick.

The power of Big Oil and Gas is shocking.

The industry has weakened democracies, polluted rivers and oceans, propped up murderous, thieving dictators, and that’s not even the half of it. But being outraged about it, says Maddow, “is like being indignant when a lion takes down and eats a gazelle. You can’t really blame the lion. It’s in her nature.” The industry, she writes, “is essentially a big casino, that can produce both power and triumphant great gobs of cash, often with little regard for merit.”

If you want a glimpse of what’s going on behind the scenes, if you want the inside scoop, and you don’t mind a lot of detail and a fair amount of disillusionment, Rachel Maddow is your gal. She is brilliant and thorough and indomitable and has a crazy knack for unpacking what’s going on in the world so we can see what the hell is in the suitcase. And in the case of the oil and gas industry, let me just sum things up by saying: it ain’t pretty.

But somehow, despite the horrors, the trickery, the sleight-of-hand, the greed, the cover-ups and the corruption, this book is quite entertaining, almost madcap at times.

There are some particularly bizarre and amusing parts—one about some rather inept Russian spies living as Americans in east coast suburbia—and some rollickingly colorful characters, including personable and charming billionaire Aubrey McClendon, founder and CEO of American Energy Partners, and fracking pioneer, who in 2016 was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring “to rig bids for the purchase of oil and natural gas leases in northwest Oklahoma,” the day before he died in a single-vehicle collision. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. Probably not the best beach read. But I highly recommend it. (I’m loving the audio version, read by Maddow herself.)

Another book I don’t recommend for the beach, but which I absolutely recommend generally, is “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins—a novel about a young woman named Lydia who lives in Acapulco, Mexico. Happily married to a journalist, she has a young son and works in a bookstore.

To make a long and difficult, heartbreaking, grueling story short, her husband writes an expose of a drug lord (a drug lord Lydia happens to know, because he frequents her store), and…well, I don’t want to spoil this any more than I already have, but after

something really bad happens, Lydia and her eight-year-old son have to flee the city, flee the country, and this is their story. The reason I don’t recommend this for the beach is that this tale is really exhausting to read, or I found it so. Not because it is boring or badly written (it is actually very exciting and very well written) but because it is so in-your-face awful what this mother and her son, and the many migrants they meet and observe on their journey, have to endure as they journey away from danger towards hoped-for safety, shelter and freedom in this country we call America.

Oprah Winfrey announced “American Dirt” as her new book club pick on January 21, saying that this story “changed the way I see what it means to be a migrant in a whole new way.” Soon after, questions and criticisms about the books’ representation of Mexican migrants started to percolate and boil. Days later, Oprah commented that the “outpouring … of very passionate opinions” had created a need “for a deeper, more substantive discussion.” Online critics have accused Cummins (who identifies as white and Latina) of being opportunistic and exploiting the actual migrant experience into “trauma porn” for the predominantly white publishing machine. Members of the Latinx community say they have been excluded and systematically erased from the publishing ecosystem. No doubt, the ongoing discussion is an important one, and I have not researched it all as well as I might, but I have to say, I really, really liked this novel, and it absolutely made me more aware of some of the issues surrounding immigration and the catch 22 of living under desperate, life-threatening conditions and enduring the kind of dangerous, spirit-crushing odyssey described in this novel. Despite the violence and hardship, the constant fear and the everlurking threat of revenge, this book is also about courage, community, and love. It’s also about hope and endurance. An epigraph from Pablo Neruda’s “The Song of Despair” reads, “There were thirst and hunger, and you were the fruit.

There were grief and ruins, and you were the miracle.”

Wrenching and transformative, this is a worthwhile read.

Stay warm and well. And always, happy reading.

Deadline for Bid Submission All bids must be submitted to the Charlotte Town Office by Monday March 23rd, 2020 at 4:00 PM. Complete Bid Package A complete bid packet may be obtained by down-loading it from the Town website at: www.charlottevt.org, or at the Charlotte Town Office, 159 Ferry Road, Charlotte, or by calling or emailing Dean Bloch, Town Administrator at 425-3071 ext. 5 or dean@townofcharlotte.com.

Contract Award It’s intended that a contract will be awarded at the Selectboard meeting of April 13.

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Library News

Men’s Book Group: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Wednesday, March 18 @ 7 p.m.

Margaret Woodruff The new library space is open! While construction continues for renovation of the existing library space, we look forward to welcoming you to the addition. Stop in for a look at the new children’s area and program room! The adult collection stacks are closed but library staff can access any books you need.

Programs for Children

Baby & Family Time Tuesdays @ 9 a.m.

Join us for music, stories and play time with babies and toddlers.

Preschool Story Time Tuesdays @ 10:30 a.m.

Stories, songs and crafts for children ages 3 to 5.

Kindergarten-First Grade After School Story Time Tuesdays @ 2:15 p.m.

Registration required.

Programs for Adults & Families Film Showing: “No Small Matter” Wednesday, March 4 @ 7 p.m.

A feature-length documentary film and national engagement campaign that brings public attention to this vital question by sharing powerful stories and stunning truths about the human capacity for early intelligence and the potential for quality early care and education to benefit America’s social and economic future. Co-sponsored with the Charlotte Children’s Center. Registration is helpful but not required. Snow date: Monday, March 9.

Extinction Rebellion Tuesday, March 10 @ 7 p.m.

Concerned about climate change and not sure what to do about it? Join us for a presentation on the current science and learn about Extinction Rebellion’s approach to action. This is a joint presentation by Extinction Rebellion Champlain Valley and Extinction Rebellion Burlington. Registration is

RAISE YOUR HAND

helpful, but not required.

Better Together Book Club: Fair Play

by Eve Rodsky Wednesday, March 12 @ 7 p.m.

A revolutionary, real-world solution to the problem of unpaid, invisible work that women have shouldered for too long. It started with the Sh*t I Do List. Tired of being the “shefault” parent responsible for all aspects of her busy household, Eve Rodsky counted up all the unpaid, invisible work she was doing for her family -- and then sent that list to her husband, asking for things to change. His response was... underwhelming. Rodsky realized that simply identifying the issue of unequal labor on the home front wasn’t enough: She needed a solution to this universal problem.

Her sanity, identity, career, and marriage depended on it.

Mystery Book Group: Bomber’s Moon

by Archer Mayor Monday, March 16 @ 10 a.m.

Bomber’s Moon is Archer Mayor›s latest entry in the Joe Gunther series and it may just be his best yet. The murder of a small-time drug dealer snowballs into the most complex case ever faced by Joe Gunther and his VBI team. It is said a bright and clear bomber’s moon is the best asset to finding one’s target. But beware what you wish for: What you can see at night can also see you. Often with dire consequences. Copies are available at the circulation desk.

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Film Showing: “Migration” Friday, March 27 @ 7 p.m.

As the film opens inside an urts or Siberian tipi at the spring camp, the viewer feels transported to a different world, watching like a “fly on the wall”, a more relaxed way of life. Candid conversations are overheard through subtitles; no explanations are provided.

The pace is slowed to that of the Dukha community, bringing their age-old traditions to life.

Following the movie showing, filmmaker Sas Carey discusses the creation of this film and her ongoing work in Mongolia.

Co-sponsored by Transition Town

Unless otherwise warned, the Charlotte Library Board of Trustees meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. Library minutes and agendas available on the library website.

LIBRARY EXPANSION UPDATES • The library driveway and original entrance are permanently closed.

• Patrons may enter the library via the library porch door, either from the north entrance or along pathway from Town Hall parking lot.

• The book drop box is located in front of Town Hall. Please stop there to return all materials when library is closed for the day.

• A pick-up table is set up inside Town Hall. We are happy to put books and other items there for you to pick up. Just call to let us know what you are looking for and we will have it ready for you.

Please contact the library with any questions!

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Description:Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. Based on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative that showcases a great American novelist writing at the height of his powers. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Reach us on the web at www.charlottepubliclibrary.org Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/ charlottelibraryvt Follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @CharlotteVTLib

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In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin.

Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery. Copies are available at the circulation desk.

Charlotte and the Charlotte Library.

For more information about these and all our library programs & activities, visit our website: www.charlottepubliclibrary.org.

Charlotte Library Contact Information: Margaret Woodruff, Director Cheryl Sloan, Youth Services Librarian Susanna Kahn, Tech Services Librarian

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Opinion Greenhouse gas is a problem Marianna Fairweather

Greenhouse gas is a big problem. It causes fires, flooding and the species extinction.

Everybody must take part in stopping greenhouse gas. Every single person in this world must take part. The world takes care of us. Now it is our turn to take care of the world. This is our chance. Planes, cars, trains, ferries, and mining. What we could do in charlotte to stop greenhouse gas?

How do you plan to stop greenhouse gases?

Advice from a fifth grader: Flossy Eagan, 10, says if you forget your music instrument instead of driving back and getting it, think, ‘Do I really need

this?’ Flossy says, “I will donate to the humane society to help animals that are hurt from greenhouse gases and do whatever I can to help stop creating greenhouse gases.

Instead of going somewhere in a car, we could go on a bike or you could run.”

Greenhouse gases are still here to haunt us today so don’t just stand by. We must do our part to stop greenhouse gases so put down your phones and computers and let’s stop greenhouse gas hand in hand together.

Marianna Fairweather is a member of the Junior Reporters Club, which meets regularly to provide students with journalism experience.

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14 • March 5, 2020 • The Charlotte News

A-W-E-S-O-M-E Say the word, spell it, then say it again: this is the mantra for all participants in the Charlotte Central School Scripps Spelling Bee. It’s a simple directive, but add an audience, a microphone, nerves, and fierce competition, and it becomes more intense than any sporting event you’ve ever seen. After three rounds with not a student making a mistake, you could tell it was going to be a fierce one.

Julia Lollis, grade four, who, during a practice session, kept asking for harder words because they were all too easy for her, won the school-wide bee. She beat 18 other students from grades three through 8. She goes on to the regional competition in Vermont this month.

Above: Julia Lollis, winner of this year’s CCS Scripps spelling bee, with co-principals Stephanie Sumner and Jen Roth.

Left: These winners of their grade spelling bees competed in the school-wide Scripps spelling bee at CCS on February 19.

Good-bye, sweet Oliver

Photo by Rik Carlson

Oliver “Ollie” the camel, a well known and well loved double-humped landmark who grinned at passersby from his home on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh, died last week. A message on the Oliver Camel Facebook page said, “I stand here, as my own herald, making my last and final message. It is with wonderment that I, Oliver T. Camel, left this earth on February 21st, 2020 in the early evening.

and loved me to the fullest and one might say I was spoiled. I can’t thank you enough for all of your kindnesses over the years…

I lived a great life and was well cared for during my time here. My fans supported

According to the Associated Press, artist Judith Giusto owned and cared for Ollie, who was 17 when he died.

As my last wish, I ask all of you to celebrate my life with joyful memories which I’ll take into the afterlife. My next adventure is ahead and I am ready to take it on--to go where no camel has gone before!”

The Charlotte News • March 5, 2020 • 15

Sports Edd Merritt

200 wins and still going strong CVU women’s basketball coach, Ute Otley, garnered her 200th win in 9 years of coaching the Redhawks. Of those years, six of them showed unbeaten regular seasons with five straight Division 1 titles between 2012-13 and 2016-17. CVU gained a first-round bye and will host a quarterfinal game next week.

Younger Mittelstadt honored as Free Press Athlete of the Week Charlotte sophomore Finn Mittelstadt, a Nordic skier, won the state championship classical cross-country skiing race at Ripton and was a member of the wining relay team, as the Redhawks developed a commanding team lead going into the end

of the state championships on Monday, March 2.

CVU man’s basketball tops Burr & Burton With a win over Burr & Burton, 71-67, the Redhawks will face St. Johnsbury in the Division I semi-finals.

Alpine skiers fare well at Northern District championships Burke Mountain was the site of the Northern District Alpine skiing championships. CVU’s Olivia Zubarik won the women’s giant slalom on February 24 th, and Sean Gilliam came in third among the men. The following day, Sean placed ninth in the regular slalom.

Ethan Harvey drives around Burr & Burton defender in state quarterfinal win.

Photo by Al Frey

Charlotte wrestler wins state championship Chea Waters Evans Concentrating during a high school wrestling meet seems difficult. There are whistles blowing, coaches and fans shouting, bleachers packed with athletes and spectators, voices on a loudspeaker constantly blaring. William Murphy, a Charlotte junior at Champlain Valley Union high school, was able last weekend to block out all the noise and become the state champion in his weight class at the Vermont state wrestling championships at Mt. Anthony Union High School.

Murphy was seeded first in his weight class, 220 pounds, going into the competition and mostly dominated his competitors throughout the season. A Redhawks wrestler since his freshman year, he was able to beat Essex High School’s Bubba Richardson for the state title.

CVU wrestling head coach Gunnar Olson said that Murphy has the mental preparedness aspect of wrestling figured out. “Will’s ability to get in the zone and remain calm has allowed him to leave it all out on the mat each time he competes,” he said. “Will is an analyst. He

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State champion William Murphy is all smiles as he celebrates his wrestling state championship.

has competitions and opponents mathematically figured out before they start. He is always up for a philosophical debate. Maybe these are the things going through his head when he’s out there...I’m not fully sure, as he’ll never let someone figure him out.”

Murphy’s perspective as a student wrestler was a little different—although he appeared to be calm, he said he struggled a little after the first round of the twoday state championship tournament. “I

William Murphy, center, with coaches Gunnar Olson and Scott Bissonette, won his weight class at the Vermont state wrestling championships in St. Johnsbury last weekend.

Photos by Jennifer Olson

was restless all night,” he said. “I would shut my eyes but soon be woken by bad dreams of defeat in my semis match, or finals match, and falling short of the top spot on the podium.” He was able to pull it together, though, and finish the season with a record of 30-3, a number that Murphy is happy about, since it brings him “a lot closer to the 100 wins milestone.”

Going into the tournament, Murphy said, “My goal was definitely to win a title. I think between having the top seed in the tournament and my coaches, friends, and family all expecting me to win the title, it put a lot of pressure on me.” Olson said that the exterior support and positive pressure is vital to a wrestler’s success.

Though Murphy’s achievement is because of his own hard work, talent, and drive, Olson said that the supportive and tightknit CVU wrestling team is an important factor as well. “Besides the obvious training partners that a team provides, it is really important for every member of a team to be present at all times even

if they aren’t competing or practicing,” he said. “Strength in numbers plays a big role. Seeing Will’s teammates in the stands supporting him in the way they did makes it all worth it.”

Though his teammates are an integral part of his wrestling career, Murph said, “My favorite part about the program is the coaches Coach Rourke, and Justin Bissonette. They are all phenomenal wrestlers and really great role model, each having a powerful work ethic and great personal values. My head coach Gunnar especially. He has been a great idol, mentor, and friend since I met him my freshman year. I would definitely not be the person I am today without his guidance.”

The next step is the New England high school wrestling championship in Methuen, Mass. on March 7 and 8. “I have my sights set high,” Murphy said.

“The goal is to be on top of the podium again. But I would be overjoyed with any podium finish I can secure.”

16 • March 5, 2020 • The Charlotte News

Sports CCS students get to take a crack at the bat or the track Chea Waters Evans After a four-year absence, baseball is back at Charlotte Central School, and a new sport is ready to go: track and field is now one of the school’s middle school spring sports offerings, joining the alreadypopular March volleyball team. After years of placing Charlotte students on teams throughout the school district, the two sports have finally received enough local momentum.

As the smallest school in the Champlain Valley School District, Charlotte often suffers from a lack of student population to make teams work, but is able to send students to other schools in the district, usually Hinesburg or Shelburne, for spring sport opportunities. CCS Athletic Director Mike Hulvey said that last year, a parent survey revealed “four 7/8 boys who wanted to play baseball, one fifth grade girl who signed up for track and field, and no girls who signed up for softball.” Much to his surprise, this year’s survey was entirely different: “We realized that there were quite a few boys (14) who were interested in baseball and the same thing with track and field (~30).”

Though girls are welcome to play on the baseball team, none were interested.

The issue of financing was always a big one for CCS sports teams, but the school district consolidation was helpful in this case. Co-principal Jen Roth said that a combination of CVSD support and innovative thinking on the part of principals and parents will finance the new sports. “The school district budget includes funding for coaches for these

sports for all of the K-8 schools,” she said. “Schools only access these funds when they have enough interest to field a team. Funding for everything else: equipment, uniforms, refs, and travel, comes from the principals’ account and must be prioritized against other CCS needs.” By using spare equipment from other schools in the district, a $300 grant from the CCS PTO, and some private donations within the school community, Roth said she anticipates being able to procure enough equipment and uniforms to make it work.

Runner, fifth grade teacher, and CCS cross-country coach David Baird will coach the track and field team, which is open to fifth through eighth grade students. He said the sport can “be fun for everyone, regardless of experience or ability. The season will begin on April 8th and will run through the end of May.” The baseball coaching position has been posted on SchoolSpring, which is a requirement for all school positions.

No interest has been indicated as of yet through the school community; if no one appropriate applies, parents Steve Magoon and Ethan Merrill have volunteered to step up to the plate (pun intended).

Roth quotes Helen Keller to explain the merits of the school, PTO, and parents coming together to provide as many opportunities for students: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Charlotte News

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Town SECURITY

continued from page 3

CCS co-principal Stephanie Sumner said school resourse officer Matt Collins “did stop in mid-day. He is contracted by the district through Shelburne PD and is regularly at CCS. He checked in with me at the office upon arrival as he always does.” Collins does not wear a traditional uniform, rather a sweatshirt and workpants, along with a belt that holds a gun, flashlight, baton, and mace.

Jensen said she was unaware yet unsurprised that Collins had stopped by

The Charlotte News • March 5, 2020 • 17

during the day. “Matt was instrumental in helping us plan security at Charlotte for [Town Meeting Day],” she said, “And so he probably felt a professional responsibility to support building administration and check in. I did not request his presence specifically. Again, if it was disturbing to voters, I apologize.”

Collins said he checked in at the school as part of his regular duties, but that he knew there was voting and a meeting happening that day at school. “I was aware that it was Town Meeting Day and again as part of my responsibilities as an SRO I will check in with the school, as I did yesterday. I wasn’t there for the entire

day, just for a little bit, as I knew they had hired SOS Security and had the Charlotte Constable [Josh Flore] on site.”

Selectboard Chair Matt Krasnow was inside the meeting for most of the day, and said he was unaware that an extra armed officer was on the premises. “The only person I knew of who was planned to be armed is our town constable who is also a full time Shelburne police officer and was in his uniform: Josh Flore. He was at the entrance to the voting station greeting people most of the day,” he said. Flore, who lives in Charlotte, has monitored town meeting for years.

Charlotte Fire & Rescue Log February 2020

Saturday, February 1, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Sunday, February 2, 2020 Canceled (Prior to Arrival At Scene) Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit

Wednesday, February 5, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Intercept Thursday, February 6, 2020 Standby-No Services or Support Provided Friday, February 7, 2020 Standby-No Services or Support Provided Standby-No Services or Support Provided Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Saturday, February 8, 2020 Standby-No Services or Support Provided Monday, February 10, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit

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Tuesday, February 11, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Wednesday, February 12, 2020 Standby-No Services or Support Provided Thursday, February 13, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Friday, February 14, 2020 Standby-No Services or Support Provided

Saturday, February 15, 2020 Standby-Public Safety, Fire, or EMS Operational Support Provided Sunday, February 16, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Patient Refused Evaluation/Care (Without Transport) Patient Evaluated, No Treatment/Transport Required Tuesday, February 18, 2020 Standby-No Services or Support Provided Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Wednesday, February 19, 2020 Standby-No Services or Support Provided Sunday, February 23, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Monday, February 24, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Patient Evaluated, No Treatment/Transport Required Wednesday, February 26, 2020 Patient Evaluated, No Treatment/Transport Required Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Canceled (Transferred to Mutual Aid) Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Thursday, February 27, 2020 Patient Treated, Transported by this EMS Unit Friday, February 28, 2020 Canceled (Prior to Arrival At Scene)

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The Charlotte News • March 5, 2020 • 19

Charlotte Senior Center

SENIOR CENTER MENUS Suggested donation for all meals: $5

Continuing along – but with newcomers welcome – is Writing Your Life Story, Part II with Laurie McMillan. This group has reveled in listening to each other’s stories – and has come to realize they each have so much more to write about. In addition to the interpersonal inspiration, you will explore storytelling techniques and utilize in-class exercises to help you move along. Fridays, 12:30-2:00. Starting 3/20.

Registration required. Fee: $65 for the 6-part series; or $12 per class.

Carolyn Kulik SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR “Sometimes you have to choose between a bunch of wrong choices and no right ones. You just have to choose which wrong choice feels the least wrong.” ~ Colleen Hoover, Hopeless “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt __________ Being able to make choices can be a wonderful, liberating thing. There are so many levels of importance regarding the choices we make – from ethical to mundane. Haven’t we all walked down the pet food aisle in the supermarket and wondered if we really, really need all those options? Or, have you looked for a light bulb recently? Laundry detergent?

Courses and Notes Tomorrow, Fri., 3/6, the new fee-based Essentrics on Fri. begins at 9:30. It is a full-body workout that improves how you feel in your body through a dynamic combination of stretching and strengthening that works through all the joints and releases tight muscles. Fee: prepaid $42 for 6 sessions; or $8 per class.

Please bring water and your own mat. Note that because the class is limited to 15, this course does require advance registration.

The two different French classes taught

by Alysse Anton, have delayed dates: now starting 3/16 and ending 5/4. French for Travelers (beginners) on Mondays at 1:15, will cover learning to navigate cities, ordering delicious food, and finding the cultural hotpots when you travel to Montréal, Québec City, or overseas.

Registration required. Fee: 8-week series, $85; or $12 per class.

On eight Mondays at 2:30, beginning 3/16, French Conversation Circle (intermediate) is designed for intermediate/ advanced speakers with sufficient knowledge of French to carry on regular conversations—but who want to improve their skills and confidence. (This class is not intended for beginning French speakers.) Registration required. Fee: 8-week series, $85; or $12 per class.

If you would like more practice, and are also at the high-intermediate level, there is the French Conversation Gathering which is self-directed and has no fee. This friendly group welcomes walk-ins and meets Tuesdays, from 2:00 to 3:00. (Please note that is was listed in the Spring Schedule as starting at 2:30.)

Another popular, returning instructor is Pam Long, who incorporates her health and Tai Kwon Do background in her Aerobic Spring Tune-Up class, Friday mornings from 8:15-9:05, starting 3/135/8. Wellness is the class focus: staying healthy dancing and moving to music.

Beginning with warm-ups, then moving to (non-mandatory) steps. Ending with muscle toning, abs, and cool down. Registration is required. Fee: $50 for 8 weeks; or $7 per class.

Our resident bird whisperer, Hank Kaestner is back to lead his very popular Birding Expeditions. They will be on three Wednesdays this spring: 3/18, 4/22 and 5/20. Plan to arrive about 10 min. before departure at 9 a.m. to carpool. There is no fee, but please register in advance as there is a limit of about 20 participants.

When you sign up be sure to indicate which dates you will be participating (okay to cancel later).

Coming in April Movie Classics Discussion Group – Happiness Series, starts 4/3 on 4 Friday afternoons, from 1-4.

Watercolor—Spring Color, Tuesdays, 9-noon, Tues. 4/7-5/12 Middlebury College Art Museum & Lunch, Fri., 4/10 from 9:30.

Italian Language & Culture, Fridays at 1:30, 5-classes series, starts 4/17.

Shape-Note Singing, Sun. 4/19 & 5/17, from 1-3.

WEDNESDAY Afternoons at 1:00 p.m. ~ Free Events ~ No registration necessary

3/11: SIGN LANGUAGE EXPLAINED! with Jody Crosby ~ Find out about the structure of both American Sign Language (ASL) and Sign English, and how they are used with children who are Deaf or hard of hearing, children with other communication issues, and hearing babies! You will receive an alphabet handout for fingerspelling and leave knowing with some basic signs.

3/18: Irish Music with Marty Morrissey & Robert Resnick ~ Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with our own Marty Morrissey and Robert Resnik of the Highland Weavers band. Sponsored by the Friends of the Charlotte Senior Center.

3/25: Kyoto & Beyond with Jonathan Silverman ~ This presentation with images of temples, cuisine, artwork, and historic sites will help illuminate the rich Japanese tradition.

Art News The March Art Exhibit—”From Our Wake Robin Neighbors” ~ This month, view works by nearly a dozen artists and almost 50 representational and abstract works. There are pieces in oil, acrylics, watercolor and pencil—with some for sale.

Don’t miss this interesting collection.

Keep up to date on Menus on Front Porch Forum and our website: CharlotteSeniorCenterVT.org as the menu sometimes changes.

Monday Munch

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

No reservations required.

March 9

Creamy Carrot Soup Zucchini Fritters Greens Apple Dumpling Fresh Fruit

March 16

Philo Ridge Carrot/Ginger Soup Salad Roasted Cranberry Cheesecake Bar

Wednesday Lunch

All diners eat at noon.

Reservations suggested.

March 11

Spinach/Mushroom Lasagna Garlic Bread Lemon Bars

March 18

Beef Burgundy Homemade Birthday Cake & Ice Cream Thursday – Gents Breakfast 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Reservations required.

Mar. 12

Menu and Topic - TBA

Winter Weather Closings When there is iffy weather, remember that the Senior Center follows the school closures of Champlain Valley School District (CVSD). Closings are announced on local TV and radio stations, at CVSDVT.org, as well as on our website: CharlotteSeniorCenterVT.org. and our phone message. ~ Best times to see ART in March ~ Mon. at noon, Tues. after 2:30, Wed. 10:00 to noon, Thurs. & Fri. after 12:30 Please call the Center during the week to check on Sunday availability.

Do visit our website, CharlotteSeniorCenterVT.org, for more details on course listings, events and current menus, and more. If you have questions, would like to register, or ask about volunteering - please call 425-6345, or stop by M-F from 9-4.

We are at 212 Ferry Rd., Charlotte—right across from the post office. The Senior Center’s mission is to serve those 50 and up. Residents from other communities are always welcome. There are no membership fees.

Stop in and say hello. See you soon! _______________ Charlotte Senior Center 802-425-6345

20 • March 5, 2020 • The Charlotte News

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